Kent v Lancashire: Ashwell Prince stands firm with unbeaten century
- Published
LV CC Division Two, The Spitfire Ground St Lawrence |
Close, day one: Lancashire 269-8 v Kent |
Kent 2pts, Lancashire 2pts |
South African Ashwell Prince hit his second century of the season for Division Two champions Lancashire on a hard-fought opening day against Kent.
He made an unbeaten 134, including a six and 17 fours, and passed 1,000 runs for the summer in the process.
However, Karl Brown's 42 was the only other score above 20 as the visitors were restricted to 269-8 at stumps.
Prince was unaware of run milestone
Kent's 19-year-old seamer Matt Hunn marked his debut by dismissing Oliver Newby just before the close.
However, Mark Davies was the pick of the home attack with 2-34 from 19 overs, and his victims included Alex Davies for 16.
He also dismissed Paul Horton with the second ball of the match and left-hander Prince's third-wicket stand of 72 with Brown was the only substantial partnership put together by Lancashire.
Kent's fielding was not flawless, with a number of chances dropped, but they will hope to bat well when they begin their reply to boost their chances of becoming the first team to beat Lancashire in the Championship this season.
VIEW FROM THE COMMENTARY BOX
BBC Radio Kent's Ben Croucher:
"Kent let Lancashire off the hook with as a series of dropped catches coming at pivotal moments, just when they could have moved into the ascendancy.
"Prince deservedly rode his luck through the tricky morning session, keeping a measured head when other Lancashire batsman were guilty of poor shot selection.
"With nothing riding on the game, the intensity was lacking at times, but on a wicket that keeps both sides honest, neither can claim to be on top."
BBC Radio Lancashire's Scott Read:
"A day of landmarks for the brilliant Ashwell Prince, who passed 15,000 first-class runs after batting for almost the entire day.
"His unbeaten century was the highlight for Lancashire as no other batsman ever looked in on a pitch which seemed to offer assistance for the bowlers throughout the day.
"Dropped catches could prove costly for Kent and there were plenty of them. Any total over 300 will be challenge for them."
- Published15 May 2018
